NORMAN, Okla. -- Thirty-five personnel executives, scouts and assistant coaches from all 32 NFL organizations descended on the Everest Training Center on Wednesday to check out 26 Sooners who put their skills on display. The highest-ranking NFL executive in attendance was Buffalo Bills assistant general manager Doug Whaley.

Whaley was among the many NFL representatives who had high praise for the Oklahoma program.

"Coach Schmidt (director of sports enhancement, Jerry Schmidt) runs a smooth operation and makes it very easy for us," Whaley said. "When you get guys from Oklahoma, you know you're going to get guys who are in excellent condition, know how to work and are well conditioned."

In addition to the six Sooners who attended the recent NFL Combine in Indianapolis - Tony Jefferson, Lane Johnson, Landry Jones, Stacy McGee and Kenny Stills - 20 other former OU players participated in the event that concluded around 2 p.m. That total included three players who didn't suit up for the Sooners last year - defensive backs Sam Proctor, Brian Jackson (most recently of the St. Louis Rams) and Reggie Smith (most recently of the Carolina Panthers).

Johnson's Ascent Continues

Sooners' fans know the story of Lane Johnson well. This former high school quarterback has undergone a remarkable transformation. After beginning his collegiate career as a quarterback and tight end at Kilgore College, he redshirted during the 2009 season at OU, beginniing his career as a tight end, then moving to defensive end and ultimately finding his niche at offensive tackle. Johnson credits the OU strength and conditioning program and the coaching staff for helping him evolve into a potential top 10 pick according to some mock drafts.

"When I got to JUCO I was around 220 (pounds), and then I switched to tight end the second semester after the first year of playing in the fall and I was around 250," he recalled. "I got here and Jerry Schmidt got ahold of me and got me up to 300, 305 playing well and I think it's a testament of what he can do to players here at Oklahoma."

No doubt, the first few months of 2013 will be a time that Johnson won't soon forget. Life's been a whirlwind since he concluded his OU career in the AT&T Cotton Bowl on Jan. 4.

"It's been a crazy process," he admitted. "The day after I got married on January 6, I flew out to Arizona and started training. A few weeks after that I went to the Senior Bowl, did well out there and showed people what I can do. Three weeks later I was at the Combine, and I went out there and knew I was going to post pretty good numbers. Here at pro day all I did was weigh in, so everything's kind of going downhill from now."

Originally slated to participate in position drills at today's Pro Day, no NFL offensive line coaches made their way to Norman, so Johnson will instead go through a series of individual workouts for selected teams in the coming weeks, beginning with the Panthers on Thursday. The Chiefs will be in town on March 22, a trip to Arizona is on tap for April 15 and the Jets are also on the agenda at some point.

"It feels good," Johnson concluded. "A lot of years of hard work, a lot of years where I wasn't playing and things weren't going well, but you stay consistent with your goals and things will pay off."

And did we mention that Johnson wasn't flagged once for holding the entire 2012 season?

All Eyes on Landry

Whitney Hand wasn't the only person in attendance at the Everest Training Center who was interested in the performance of Landry Jones, the man who has thrown for more yards than any other player in Big 12 history. Tom Moore, assistant head coach/offense for the Arizona Cardinals made a specific point of asking Jones to throw several balls to Kenny Stills standing flat-footed to test Jones' arm strength. This came on the heels of 71 different throws made by Jones from a variety of spots on the field.

"I mean he's a legend in the NFL so it was huge for him to come out here and throw with us and do all that," Jones said of his interaction with Moore. Many football fans will know Moore as the gray-haired guru of the passing game who helped mold the NFL career of Peyton Manning with the Indianapolis Colts.

While Jones wasn't necessarily feeling sentimental, it may have been the last time that he throws passes to any number of former OU teammates.

"It was great getting back out here with Kenny (Stills), Justin (Brown), Dom (Whaley) and Jaydan (Bird)," he said. "It was awesome. We had a couple other guys that were in, Cameron Kenny, Brett Swain and Mark Clayton. I've thrown to Cameron but this is the first time I've got to throw with Brett and Mark but all in all it was a good day."

Jones indicated that he'll likely remain in Norman until he learns his pro football fate on draft day.

"This is a long process," he said. "But on draft day you'll figure out where you're going. Like I said, God has a team for me and for Whitney and we'll figure out where we're going from there."

While there is no consensus on where Jones will be selected and where he'll suit up on Sundays next fall, there is no arguing that he was one of college football's most efficient quarterbacks last year. According to X-INFO data provided courtesy of STATS, LLC, Jones was among the nation's leaders in air yards (second with 2,286), successful play percentage (third at 57 percent) and adjusted completion percentage (third at 63 percent).

Paulsen's Performance

If there was one individual who might have jumped on to some NFL radars today, it may have been safety Jesse Paulsen. Paulsen finished first or tied for first in four different categories and was second in two others.

"Hopefully I did enough to get noticed by some teams today," he said. "I've been training hard and am just looking for an opportunity."

Paulsen was the leader or tied for first in four categories (40-yard dash, 20-yard shuttle, broad jump and 3-cone drill) and was second in two more (vertical jump and 60-yard shuttle).

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